Thursday and Friday night there had been no sign of Ian. Liam hadn't heard from him or seen him. Not that he was bothered by that.
Then, Saturday at nine thirty Liam's phone pings. He very rarely gets texts. Paige and Ember are the only people he texts and they usually tell him everything they need to at school.
Liam reaches over to his bedside table, not moving to sit up in bed. He grabs the phone and pulls it over to himself. Ian's name pops up and Liam feels himself smile for some reason.
He clicks his phone off, a small grin playing on his lips. He looks back at his laptop. He had been watching an old classic movie.
With a small smile he clicks play again. His shoulders don't feel so tense anymore. His eyes don't burn as badly as they did before.
It takes another hour before he hears tapping at the window. At that point he had already finished his movie. Liam smiles, sitting up.
He walks over and opens the window. Ian slips in easily. He stands in front of the window and smiles at Liam. Liam smiles right back, feeling happy.
"You wanna do anything?" Ian asks, leaning back against the windowsill.
"Like what?" Liam raises his eyebrows.
"I don't know, anything. We could do anything from watching a movie to arson. I'm down for anything." Ian says, laughing as he does. Liam smiles a little.
"I guess we can do something. I don't know about arson though." That makes Ian chuckle a little. "I think I'd be happy just watching a movie or like going for a walk."
"We can go for a walk." Ian grins. "I like walking."
Liam laughs lightly. Ian seems in a good mood. "Okay."
"Get a jacket though, it's going to be chilly."
Liam nods and begins walking to the closet. He pauses though when he sees red cloth folded up on his desk.
He pauses and instead picks up the yellow and red hoodie. He pulls it over his head quickly and turns back to Ian.
Ian's smiling a lot wider than he was before. Liam's stomach feels weird and he smiles too.
"C'mon, let's go."
Getting out his window was a lot easier this time around. Liam still hadn't gotten the hand of it but it was easier. Both boys make their way down the tree and onto the ground.
"Where are we gonna go?" Liam starts walking alongside Ian, staying just a step behind so he can follow.
"I don't know honestly." Ian shrugs simply. "I just thought a walk could be nice."
"I guess." Liam smiles a little. He's feeling significantly better than he was a few hours ago.
A comfortable silence settles over them. Liam follows Ian as he walks down the street. Since they're still on Liam's street the houses are a bit more spaced out and most of them have walls as entrances. Even the street lamps look fancy over here.
Ian's skin looks darker, even with the lights flashing by them. His eyes glint with the reflection of the lamps. Liam realizes that this must be one of those nights where he's going to find everything pretty once again.
He looks around, taking in his surroundings. It's not as pretty here. The houses are covered by walls and the roads aren't very busy. There's nothing interesting to look at.
Liam's gaze goes back to Ian. He's interesting to look at. His hair falls in little curls at the front of his face.
"Do you not like your house?" Ian asks suddenly. "I remember back when Chris picked you up for the arcade, you didn't seem like you liked it."
Liam's stomach bubbles uncomfortably. He swallows. "Um- not really."
Ian hums quietly. "You wanna talk about it?"
Liam doesn't talk about it, not usually. He has the occasional conversation with Paige about it but that's it. He's never had the chance to talk about it.
"It's just my parents that are the issue really." Liam speaks after a moment of quiet. He keeps his voice quiet, the silent street making him feel like he has to. "They're... a lot to deal with."
"Yeah?" Ian's voice is incredibly soft, like he's trying to keep the conversation light.
"Yeah. I guess." Liam looks down at his feet. "It's just... I couldn't ever make them happy. I used to strive as a child to always get their approval in any way I could, but I couldn't. Nothing I did was right. I never understood it. My older sister just existed and she was accepted, they talk about her with pride all the time. I'm nothing to them. They sometimes sound proud but then I realize it's all fake, a show for their friends. I hate it."
Ian doesn't say anything. He keeps quiet. It's as if he knows Liam isn't pausing to get a reaction but rather to collect himself so he can continue.
"I eventually just had to stop trying. I had to accept the fact that I couldn't make them happy. It still hurts though. Every time they say something, scold me for something pointless, it still hurts."
This time when he paused, Liam was finished talking. Ian seems to sense this as well. He nods gently. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for just unloading this on you."
"Don't be." Ian shakes his head. "I asked."
Liam quarks a smile. "You did."
That makes Ian laugh quietly. They're still walking down the street. Liam's following Ian as he takes random turns without a destination in mind.
"Why don't you like your mom's boyfriend?" Liam decides to ask. He wants to talk again but none of his questions fit with the conversation they just had. This one did.
"I don't know. He gives me bad vibes. His smile seems fake. I guess it's more genuine with my mom but not with me. He just doesn't like me. I can tell. He has this look in his eyes that I don't recognize and it just sets me off. I don't feel like I can trust him. It's hard to stay at someone's house if you don't feel like you can trust them."
Liam nods slowly. "That makes sense."
"Oh, and it's husband." Ian says softly. "They're married. When I went through your window that night I was still getting used to that so that's why when I was freaking out I said the guy she was dating and not husband. It took me a bit to get used to it because it was so sudden. They went on vacation and just decided to get hitched, I didn't even get told until I went over there after they got back."
"Oh." Liam nods again. "Okay."
"Do you like hanging out with all of us? I mean, the friend group." Ian says, eyes looking up ahead. "Sorry for the sudden topic change."
"It's okay." Liam hums. "Yeah, I do. I like it a lot. You guys are nice and I've never really been able to hangout with people like that before. Before Paige and Ember the only time I got to 'hangout' with people my age was when I would go to a meeting, or something, with my parents and their friend or business associate would bring their kids too. That sucked. With you guys it's nice."
Ian smiles. "I'm glad you think that. I think you're cool, and everyone else thinks you are too. We all like you."
Liam smiles. "Cool."
"Cool." Ian smiles, finally looking over at Liam.
His eyes are so dark during the night time. Liam feels like he's being encased in blackness when he looks into them. It isn't an uncomfortable feeling though, he likes it.
"You have pretty eyes." Liam mumbles out after a second of silence. He realizes he's been staring at Ian for too long without saying something and so he said something. After it's out he feels stupid. Why did he even say that?
Ian's smile grows to overtake his face. It's bright and Liam feels like it would probably do a better job lighting up the street than the lamp over their head does. He feels himself smile a little too, just because Ian's smile is contagious like that.
"Thanks." He grins. "I think your eyes are really pretty too."
They start walking again, Liam isn't even sure when they stopped but it was probably sometime when the staring contest started. The blue eyed boy's face heats up a little. He blames it on the cold.
"I think my eyes are boring if I'm honest." Liam doesn't even know why he's sharing these little details. He feels okay though. He doesn't mind sharing them and Ian doesn't seem to mind hearing them so he doesn't stop.
"What do mean?" Ian bumps his shoulder lightly against Liam's.
"I mean, my mom has these vivid blue eyes. People compliment her on them all the time. Ember has lively, bright blue eyes. Even Lucas I've noticed has pretty blue eyes, his fade more into a gray color which just makes them cooler." Liam shrugs. "My eyes are just kinda dull in comparison I think."
Ian's quiet for a moment. It feels like he's not going to answer and Liam can accept that. He doesn't mind. That doesn't matter though because Ian does reply. "I think they're pretty cool. Your eyes, I mean. They're unique. They're a shiny blue that isn't too bright but hasn't reached silver. You've got diamond eyes Li."
Liam's steps falter. He jumps right back into stride immediately after. Ian caught him off guard. His face heats up again and he, once again, blames it on the cold.
A laugh bubbles out of Liam's throat. He's not sure why he's laughing, nothing is funny, but still he finds himself laughing quietly anyway. Ian laughs too, under his breath so Liam can't hear it all that great.
"I've never really had people compliment me often, sorry that surprised me." Liam says, his smile still remaining as he comes off his laughing high.
"Shit, really?" Ian's still smiling too. He looks over at Liam, eyebrows raised and lips pulling on one side of his mouth more than the other. His smile is lopsided but Liam likes it anyways.
"Uh yeah." He nods a little.
"Well damn. There's a shit ton of stuff to compliment you on though."
A slow smile creeps its way up. Liam looks over at Ian and tilts his head to the side ever-so-slightly. "Like what?"
That makes Ian laugh for some reason before answering. "Your freckles are adorable, the way they're just across the bridge of your nose and no where else is cute. Uh, your hair turns blonde at the ends when you're in the sun and that's pretty cool. You're a good person from what I can tell. I like your resting bitch face too." Ian smirks. "That may be a weird thing but I think it's funny when you look like you're going to kill someone one second and the next you're smiling shyly."
"I look like I'm going to kill someone sometimes?" Liam blinks.
"Sometimes when you zone out and your face relaxes. When you're not zoned out though you just look uncomfortable or tired. Unless of course you're smiling."
"Oh." Liam still doesn't fully understand but he nods a little anyway.
"If we're still going down the list your smile is another thing you should be getting complimented on. You've got perfect teeth and your smile is adorable. You're attractive in general, and attractive people should get compliments. All people should get compliments."
Liam's face heats up. He can't take compliments very well apparently. His stomach feels weird, not a bad weird but still weird.
"You're also honest and that's a great character trait to have. Not sure if people would compliment you on that now that I'm thinking about it but it feels worth mentioning." After that Ian seems finished talking. Liam tries to soak it all in.
"Thanks." He mumbles, his eyes falling down to look at his shoes.
Ian doesn't respond but he keeps walking right next to Liam. The cool night hair brushes against Liam's forehead. He likes the night.
He likes seeing the night sky and sometimes, depending on where he is, he can see the stars dot the darkness. He likes the way it coats everything in shadows but with a little light it becomes pretty. He likes the way he get to be genuine and get closer with Ian when it's night.
"Are you and your older sister close?" Liam suddenly asks. He remembers talking to her at their kitchen table the first time he stayed over. She said something about her and Ian talking about him, and whether Paige and him were a thing.
"I guess so." Ian answers right away, not questioning the random topic. "She's off at college right now and we don't ever talk while she's gone but we talk a lot when she's home. Before college, when she lived at home, we were chill for the most part but didn't get all that close until I got in high school. Then, she just picked up the cool older sister roll that you can go to for advice and to tell all your secrets to."
"That's cool." Liam stuffs his hands in the hoodie pockets, suddenly a little chilly. "Is she like that with Ember too?"
"Her and Ember have been close for longer than her and I have. Ember started talking to her about anything and everything in the sixth grade. Ember also texts her and calls her on occasion when she's staying in the dorms at college. So, yeah."
Liam nods. "That's sweet. So you're just close with all your siblings then?"
"I guess." A small smile comes to Ian's face. "Ember and I have always been close, because we were so close in age that was easy. We still have fights and stuff but we never hold grudges. What about you? You said you have an older sister right? Are you guys close?"
"Oh." Liam looks down again in thought. "I think we could've been, but we're not."
"Because of your parents?" Ian guesses gently. It's obvious he's saying it softly in case Liam takes offense.
"Kind of, and also just kind of because of us." Liam looks up again, watching where they're going. "Mandy is the perfect child, she goes with my dad to meetings and understands everything. She even pitches in sometimes when she's allowed. She goes with my mom to luncheons and gets along with all the ladies. She talks about gossip with them and everything so they love her. I hate doing that kind of thing so we don't usually get to hang out. When we were little we'd play together and watch movies together, there was never really anybody else to do that stuff with for me, but we still didn't get close because she was always gone with our parents and I was always avoiding them."
Ian hums. "So it's really because of circumstances then."
"Yeah, pretty much." Liam shrugs.
They continue to walk in the quiet. Liam likes it. It's peaceful.
This is exactly what he needed after the day he's had. He had an appointment with the doctor this morning. His mother freaked out when she learned he's gained nine pounds. They had some disgusting, healthy meal for dinner. He doesn't even remember its name, it was foreign and gross. He needed this calmness.
â¢ââ¢ââ¢ââ¢ââ¢ââ¢ââ¢ââ¢
Love you â¡
- Z